Manny Machado Thinks Padres Young Outfielder is 'Superstar in the Making'

Maren Angus-Coombs | Apr 19, 2024

Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Jackson Merrill turned 21 on Friday, the same day he will play in his 22nd Major League Baseball game.

Merrill enters Friday’s game against the Blue Jays leading the Padres with a .333 batting average and tied with Jurickson Profar with a team-leading .405 on-base percentage.

Manny Machado believes Merrill is just at the beginning of his journey.

“I think he’s a superstar in the making,” Machado said on Friday after Merrill’s 11th-inning single at Dodger Stadium drove in what proved to be the winning run.

“It’s tough, early on, coming into this environment,” Machado said. “... For him to battle, getting to 0-2 pretty quickly and then battling, fighting off a (pitch) and being able to make the adjustment on the swing, that’s talent. He’s growing as a player every single day, and it’s fun to watch.”

Merrill has impressed several people in the San Diego clubhouse.

“He’s just got a really good perspective and approach to the game,” Joe Musgrove said. “You can just see it, the calmness in some of the big situations he’s been in and been able to come through. He just seems pretty level-headed, like he’s not going to let the moment become bigger than him.”

On Saturday night against the Dodgers, just one night removed from delivering a game-winning hit in extra innings, Merrill became the fourth active player in MLB history younger than 21 to bat leadoff and start in center field in the same game. The others: Ronald Acuña Jr., Bryce Harper and Mike Trout.

“It doesn’t matter where you put him in the lineup, he’s staying the same,” hitting coach Victor Rodriguez said. “He went from eight, nine to leadoff. That’s a different game. He was the same. He stuck with the same approach.

“At this point, he’s fairly advanced. A young player like that, you don’t expect to do everything right. Like controlling the strike zone, hitting the ball where it's pitched, two-strike approach, slowing things down, put the ball in play. There are a lot of things that he has done that usually, young players take a while to get it. So far, he has been good.”